Name
Marko
In what part of town do you live?
Coral Gables, at the moment.
How long have you lived in the area?
I originally moved down to Miami in 2001 and lived on the beach until 2010 at which point, we bought a house in Coconut Grove. We were in that house until September of 2017 when Irma hit. Due to our proximity to the water, we had significant flood and wind damage from the hurricane. We eventually sold the property and are still in our rental house in the Gables. We’re looking in the Grove, the Gables, and in Pinecrest.
What originally brought you to Miami?
Tennis. I played tennis at Duke, where I did my undergrad. I then moved to Florida after I turned professional, after college. This is a place where I could train year round, and a number of younger pros my age, were based out of here. We had good training facilities and partners.
How did you go from tennis to law?
I played on professional circuit for a couple of years. I ended up getting hurt at the time when the dot com bubble had just burst. The economy wasn’t doing very well. I met with people that I looked up to for life advice, and they recommended going to law school. It would offer me a flexible postgraduate degree, something that I could utilize whether I practiced law or whether I went into some other field.
How has your on-court profession influenced your in-court profession?
I found the competition aspect of litigation, which is what I do, particularly appealing, because it was somewhat of a continuation of my tennis in a different arena. Tennis is a muscle memory type sport and with litigation you also have to prepare as much as possible. In tennis, you have to study your opponent to understand what type of player they are and what type of strategy they might utilize against you. In the same respect, you go through a similar analysis when going to court, trying to anticipate what the other side is going to do and how to nullify that and gain an advantage.
What did you learn from your injury?
You know, just to keep going. I always knew that tennis was going to come to an end at some point. I always knew that I didn’t want to make it my life. It had a shelf life – whether I played through 25 or age 30. I always wanted to do something more intellectually stimulating. So from that aspect, obviously it ended earlier than I would have wanted to, but at the same time it was a catalyst to me starting my second career.
How often do you come to the Pinecrest market?
Almost every weekend.
What’s your market ritual?
We have to stop by the koi pond, for the kids to check out the fish. And then, pick up some pastries or bread at Zak the Baker. Then, we will stop and get smoothies and turmeric and guacamole from you guys. And then, sometimes the kids want a pizza depending on if it’s lunchtime. After, we kind of meander through the market and then we always go to the playground behind the library and spend some time there.
What do you enjoy most about the market?
The sense of farm to table, items from individuals that care about what they’re doing and make it easily accessible. Growing up in Croatia, my grandparents had a farm and a lot of the grocery shopping, from vegetables and fruits to even meat and fish, is done in an open market. So, the market reminds me of my childhood.
What would make the market better?
Additional seating areas. There’s very limited seating and sometimes, closer to lunchtime, it gets very packed.
What restaurants do you all like to go to?
My wife and I usually cook during the week. If we go out, we’ll do so over the weekend. The kids love anything Italian. My daughter’s favorite is Villagio.
Any favorite lunch spots or dives that people might want to know about?
Pura Vida, on the beach. They have a place now in Edgewater and the University of Miami as well. It’s kind of fresh, healthy foods, and very good. When we go to the beach on Saturdays, we’ll go there after for lunch and the kids love it. The last restaurant that I ate at that I really liked was KYU. I liked the octopus and there was a cauliflower dish that was really good. And from just from a casual perspective, something that’s always consistent is Hillstone.
What else do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Spending time with my kids outdoors. I’m still actively involved with sports, whether it be tennis or running. We try to go to the beach with the kids at least once a week, and be outdoors as much as possible.
Are your getting your kids involved in tennis?
I don’t want to push them. My daughter is four now and she’s shown some interest. I’ll let them choose what they want to do. Obviously I have a personal bias towards tennis, because the doors have opened for me and it’s given me an ability to travel the world. And, it’s something that you can play to old age.
What’s Miami’s best kept secret?
Down south – the Pinecrest market is one of them. We lived in the Grove for seven years and it used to be popular in the 80’s and early 90’s, and then kind of lost its luster as the beach gained popularity. I feel the Grove was overlooked and now it’s starting to get that shine back with the new developments and restaurants opening up.
What’s a worthy splurge for you?
Travel.
What’s a good rainy-day activity?
The Frost museum with the kids.
Where’s the most romantic spot in Miami?
I’d say the beach, south of fifth.
Is there a pitch about your business that you might like to share or something about what you do?
I work for a law firm, the full name is Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine. I’ve been with the firm for almost 10 years and I’m a shareholder in the firm. We specialize in high stakes litigation, from real estate to corporate to individual. I think that we are one of the best litigation firms in town, and in Florida. If somebody has issues in real estate or corporate matters, they should definitely give us a call.
Is there a question you would like to ask us?
(MC) How did you guys get started?
(A+W) Adena grew up on the farm and is a trained chef. Her parents, Marc and Kiki, started LNB Groves in 1980. It has grown from their home farm to several properties – over 150 acres. We have been at the Pinecrest market for eight years. Two years ago, we moved our production into our commercial kitchen, by Tamiami airport, where we test and package the things we make, with what we grow.
(MC) What types of things do you grow?
We’re really known for our tropical fruit. Especially the fruits that are not mainstream, but grow in our climate. We’re known for jackfruit and many types of sapotes. Several years ago, Marc started growing ginger, turmeric, black pepper and lemongrass and we created our Turmeric products.